Things people misunderstand about EEOC and pay the price

EEOC is the bane of existence for many employers. People are terrified of receiving a notice from the EEOC, especially employers who don’t have any previous experience with EEOC. If you have an EEOC lawyer on board, then they can manage everything, and you won’t have to worry about anything. But most companies don’t have that luxury. Employers who often deal with the EEOC on their own have some major misconceptions regarding the commission, and these misunderstandings can cause irreparable damage.

Here are a few of these misconceptions and the truth about them.

EEOC doesn’t litigate:

The track record of EEOC during the previous government hasn’t been that great, and it is understandable why so many people believe this. Most charges never went even close to the courtroom, let alone in it. But things are changing, and are the ways of EEOC. Their reluctance to litigate is fading away, and the new administration is willing to take matters to court when the need arrives.

There are also some specific charges that are more likely to end up in court. These include racial discrimination, gender discrimination, discrimination against people of LGBT status, and several related issues. If a current topic is hot, then that will also become a temporary part of this list.

EEOC is slow:

Another misconception, the origin of which is completely understandable. Employers have charges sitting in the EEOC possession for years, and nothing is being done about them. There is occasional information or documentation requirement, and that’s all.

The issue with this misunderstanding arises when employers think that if the agency is slow, so can they. They start not caring about statement submission deadlines and stop following other orders in a timely manner. It might look like that this carelessness isn’t causing any harm, while in reality, you are ruining your image in front of the EEOC. This tarnished image can come back to haunt you on your next major charge.

Remedying the issues isn’t worth it:

Many employers think that trying to fix the issue right after getting a charge for it isn’t worth it and that EEOC doesn’t care about it. Well, it does. It might not be super apparent the first time. But, if you start remodeling your company, and eliminate the core issue before the current charge is even finalized, then the reputation of your company increases in front of EEOC.